LITMIR.BIZ

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away.”

      “Mom, can we go?” Jake begged. “The Fourth of July is my very favorite holiday.”

      Cassie chuckled at that. “And right before Thanksgiving you always say that’s your favorite because you love turkey and pumpkin pie. And then there’s Christmas with the tree and Santa and all the presents.”

      “But they’re not for months and months. This is my very favorite because it happens now. We’ve gotta go. Maybe I’ll meet some other kids. If we’re gonna be here even for a little while, I’ve gotta have friends.”

      Cassie hated the thought of denying him, but what about Cole? How could she manage to keep them apart? Or was it simply time to get used to the idea that she couldn’t, not and stay here in Winding River?

      “Give me a little time to think about it,” she said, praying she could come up with a reasonable solution that would balance Jake’s needs and her fears.

      Jake’s face fell. “You’re going to say no, aren’t you? You never want me to have any fun. You’re still mad about what happened before we left home. You said when we came here I wouldn’t be grounded anymore, but I might as well be if I can’t do anything and I don’t have one single friend to play with.”

      “Sweetie, it’s not that,” Cassie told him. “I swear it. I would love to take you. And I do want you to get to know the other kids in town.” She thought desperately, trying to come up with a believable excuse for her hesitation. She could hardly tell him the truth—that she didn’t want him anywhere near his father.

      “It’s just that your mother knows I haven’t been feeling all that well,” Edna broke in, throwing Cassie a lifeline. “It might have to be a last-minute decision.”

      Worry immediately creased Jake’s brow. “You’re sick?” he asked, wide-eyed.

      “Nothing serious,” Edna insisted, keeping to her agreement with Cassie to keep the truth from Jake for as long as possible. She fell back on the incident he had seen for himself. “But the heat bothers me some. You saw that in town the other day.”

      He scrambled off his chair and snuggled close to her side. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to go,” he said bravely, though his chin quivered ever so slightly as he made the concession.

      His grandmother gave him a fierce hug. “You are such a thoughtful child. Thank you. Now why don’t you go on out to the garage and see if you can get that old bike in shape to ride. Once you’ve got some wheels, you’ll be able to get around and meet those kids.” She gave him one last squeeze. “Now, go on.”

      Jake gave her one last worried look, then left.

      “Thank you for bailing me out,” Cassie said, breathing a sigh of relief when he’d gone.

      “It was my fault he got his heart set on it in the first place. I just remembered how you used to love the parade and the hot dogs and the fireworks, and the next thing I knew I was feeling nostalgic and telling him all about it.”

      “I wish I could take him,” Cassie said wistfully.

      “Then do it,” her mother said staunchly. “Maybe we’ve been going about this all wrong, keeping him from Cole. If you’re determined to stay here, you can’t keep Jake locked up in this house. He shouldn’t be punished because of something that’s not his fault.”

      Cassie had been thinking the same thing herself just moments earlier, but the fear the idea stirred was tough to conquer. “You know all hell will break loose if Cole adds two and two together and figures everything out.”

      “It might,” her mother conceded. “But that child needs a father. He could do worse than Cole.” Her mother seemed to be oblivious to the fact that her attitude was a major turnaround.

      “That’s quite a change of heart,” Cassie noted.

      “Not really,” her mother denied, looking guilty.

      “Oh? You’ll have to explain that to me.”

      “I always thought he was a fine young man. What you told me after he left the other night, that he’s willing to pay my medical expenses is proof of that. Back then I just thought things got a little out of hand between the two of you, especially with you being so young. Then when he left and you turned out to be pregnant, naturally I blamed him.”

      “There were two of us to blame,” Cassie said, finding herself taking Cole’s side as well.

      “Well, of course, but he was older. I thought he took advantage of you. And, then...” She shrugged and fell silent.

      “Then what?”

      “Nothing. It’s water under the bridge now.”

      Before Cassie could press her, she heard a masculine voice outside. “Oh, my God,” she said, leaping up. “What if that’s Cole?”

      “Then you go out there and act perfectly natural,” her mother advised. “Anything else will make him suspicious. Until you decide you’re going to admit the truth to him, you have to keep those two apart, but you have to do it as subtly as possible. He won’t see what you and I see when we look at Jake, because he won’t be expecting it.”

      Cassie knew she was right, but that didn’t stop the panic from clawing at her as she stepped outside and saw Cole bending down to help Jake tighten a bolt on the bicycle he’d retrieved from the garage. Her heart slammed to a stop at the sight, then resumed beating at a more frantic pace.

      Jake looked up at her with shining eyes. “Mom, Mr. Davis is helping me fix the bike.”

      “I see that. Does Mr. Davis actually have any idea what he’s doing?”

      Cole frowned up at her with feigned indignation. “Hey, lady, are you questioning my mechanical skills?”

      She forced a grin. “You bet. I seem to recall an electric coffeepot that blew up after you’d tinkered with it.”

      Cole tapped the wrench against the bike. “No electricity involved here, just nuts and bolts and chains.”

      “True, but I’m sure you didn’t stop by to do bike repair,” she said. “I’ll help Jake later.”

      “But, Mom,” Jake wailed.

      “I said I’d help later. Cole, why don’t you come on inside? I know Mother is anxious to thank you for what you’re doing for her.”

      “Is she really?” Cole asked, his expression skeptical.

      Cassie did grin at that. “Well, she will thank you right after she tells you how she can’t accept, that Edna Collins doesn’t accept anyone’s charity, et cetera, et cetera.”

      Cole got to his feet. “Now that sounds more like it. I guess I’ll just have to dust off my charm.”

      That ought to do it, Cassie thought as he held out his hand to her son for a grown-up handshake. Certainly one member of the Collins family was under his spell. Okay, two, she conceded reluctantly. She might not hold out any hope for their future, but that didn’t stop her from indulging in the occasional fantasy, the one in which she, Jake and Cole somehow put aside all the lies and deceit of the past and became a happy family.

      * * *

      As soon as Cole left and she could get away, Cassie invited her mother to come into town with her and Jake to have lunch at Stella’s. Eager for an outing of any kind, Jake had already raced ahead to the car.

      “I need to talk to Stella about that job,” she explained to her mother. “This is as good a time as any. And maybe it will pacify Jake. He’s still smarting over the fact that I didn’t let Cole spend the whole morning helping him with that bike.”

      “Then you’re determined to stay?” her mother asked. “Even with Cole showing up here earlier and sending you into a tizzy?”

      Cassie

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